Weijun Chen / China / 2006 / 55 min.
On the first day of term at a Chinese primary school, teachers pick three candidates in the first grade for the post of class monitor. The children themselves have to elect one of them as their monitor. In a country where there is no such thing as free elections, children are able to try out what it is like to be a candidate or someone who can vote freely. In this class (which the filmmakers observe throughout the pre-election period) two boys and one girl have been nominated. What starts out as an innocent game soon turns into a treacherous contest is worthy of real politics. The main advisers to the candidates are their parents, who perhaps take the youngsters' nomination more seriously than the children themselves do. Underhand practices come into play, such as bribing fellow students by promising them a certain job, vilifying opponents, using flattery and threats, and, last but not least, by giving out pre-election gifts. This amusing documentary will also send a chill down your spine. What will become of children whose world is assailed so early in their lives by the hard-bitten ways of adults? Please Vote for Me was made as part of the "Why Democracy?" project.
Screenings
Category
Human Right
Production Company
Don Edkins
DAY ZERO FILM PRODUCTIONS
7 Glynnville Terrace Gardens
Cape Town
South Africa
tel: +27 214 655 805
fax: +27 214 655 806
don@dayzero.co.za
www.steps.co.za